No Progress In Sight For Baseball Contract

SPORTS this morning - BRIEFING friday

November 15, 1996

Owners made no effort to save a proposed contract as Thursday's midnight deadline approached, but put off a decision to OK next year's schedule without interleague play.

Acting commissioner Bud Selig said he intended to ''act expeditiously and bring this to a successful conclusion.'' But he failed to make a new proposal and didn't ask union head Donald Fehr to postpone the deadline for a deal.

The collapse of the deal denies free agency to 11 players who would have received service time for the 1994 strike.

MORE BASEBALL: The Pittsburgh Pirates kept trimming payroll and adding young players, sending second baseman Carlos Garcia, outfielder Orlando Merced and reliever Dan Plesac to the Blue Jays for six prospects. . . . One of Delino DeShields' agents, Adam Katz, denied reports the second baseman had agreed to a contract with the Cincinnati Reds.

Lakeland star to pick Georgia Tech over UF

Lakeland Kathleen center Alvin Jones will sign a grant-in-aid today with Georgia Tech, according to sources close to the player. The 6-foot-11, 240-pound Jones, who chose Tech over the University of Florida, is rated as one of the best pivot prospects in the nation. Jones opened his senior season Thursday night with 17 points, 9 rebounds and 8 blocked shots in a victory against Tampa Prep. Jones will formally announce his decision this afternoon at a pep rally.

MORE COLLEGE BASKETBALL: Florida State signed point guard Delvon Arrington from Jersey City (N.J.) St. Anthony's. St. Anthony's is 54-0 with him as a starter. . . . Brooke Wyckoff, a 6-1 forward from West Chester, Ohio, became the first recruit signed by new FSU women's coach Chris Gobrecht.

Lehman cruises to Grand Slam victory

Tom Lehman won the Grand Slam of Golf with a 10-under 68-66-134, which broke the tournament record by two strokes. The four-player event in Poipu, Hawaii, featured the winners of this year's majors.

Lehman's score was two strokes better than U.S. Open winner Steve Jones (70-66) and five ahead of Nick Faldo (67-72), the Masters champion. PGA champion Mark Brooks shot 3-over 147 on rounds of 74-73.

MORE GOLF: Four players posted 2-under-par 70s to share the first-round lead in a North Florida PGA Winter Tour tournament at the Country Club of Ocala. Chris Bernhard of Ocala and Gene Jones of Orlando each birdied the 550-yard final hole to share the lead with Will Frantz of Ocala and Brian Lawton of Hampden, Maine.

King loses rights to Lewis-McCall bout

Don King was stripped of the rights to promote a World Boxing Council heavyweight title bout, a move that will pay Lennox Lewis $1.5 million less but should assure him the fight will come off in three months. Paterson, N.J., Superior Court Judge Amos Saunders ruled Don King Productions had failed to meet contractual obligations when the WBC on Sept. 26 accepted the company's $9.2 million purse bid for a Lewis-Oliver McCall fight.

Saunders instead awarded the bout to Totowa, N.J.-based Main Events, which bid $6.2 million for the fight. Lewis and McCall each is guaranteed $3.1 million instead of the $4.6 million each would have received from King.

Graf wins easily at Advanta tourney

In her first match since early October, top-ranked Steffi Graf struggled with her serve but still overwhelmed Amy Frazier, 6-2, 6-1, in the second round of the Advanta Championships in Villanova, Pa.

Arkansas-Little Rock gets Father Lopez star

Father Lopez infielder Doug Thomas has committed to Arkansas-Little Rock, Father Lopez coach Norm Yelverton said. Thomas hit .375, drove in 28 runs and scored 48 from the leadoff position last year for Father Lopez (31-3), a Class 2A semifinalist.